On Feb. 25, President Janet L. Steinmayer sent a message to the Lesley University community, providing a preliminary update on plans for fall 2021, within the context of COVID-19 and a burgeoning rollout of vaccinations nationwide.
“I appreciate that you all are very eager to know the plan for next fall,” President Steinmayer wrote. “I would like to describe our planning goals and the various options and factors we are considering as we look ahead to next fall.”
The president wrote about “maximizing options” sufficiently flexible to reopen campus facilities for in-person classes and activities to the greatest extent possible, as safely as possible, while still offering remote and hybrid options to meet a range of needs and preferences.
“The start of the fall 2021 semester is still six months away, and as we have learned over the past year, it is difficult to make firm plans that far ahead,” Steinmayer’s message explained. “To build in flexibility, we are creating a modular plan that we can dial up or down, as indicated by the health and safety conditions in the fall. Our spring limited campus access program began on March 1, and we will incorporate what we learn from that experience into our planning.”
The university has been operating on a largely remote basis since March 2020, as the worldwide spread of the coronavirus negated the possibility of extensive in-person activities. President Steinmayer this past week ordered campus flags lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the half-million American lives lost since the pandemic began.
“I greatly appreciate how hard everyone has worked over the past year to meet a series of unprecedented challenges in your work at Lesley and to cope with disruptions in your personal lives,” the president wrote.
Steinmayer’s message delineated many aspects of the ongoing plans, including:
Variety of options and choices for learning and living
The fall planning team is considering many variables including: offering and scheduling classes in a range of formats (in-person, HyFlex/hybrid, online, low-residency); adding new classroom and student support technology; and evaluating the capacity of campus spaces for in-person instruction and meetings, if distancing is required. Noting that Lesley faculty and staff have learned a great deal from this year’s virtual campus experience, the president stated that those key lessons will be incorporated to ensure that any portions of the Lesley experience that might be offered remotely next fall feel as vibrant and personalized as traditional in-person classes.
The planning team is also reviewing housing, dining and meal plan options to provide students with greater choice and flexibility including the possibility of using hotel rooms as well as some residence halls. Innovative approaches to student dining under consideration include a chef-driven menu and a “ghost kitchen” service where meals are prepared to order for on-demand delivery.
Flexible options for remote work
Lesley is assessing a range of remote work options for faculty and staff, as appropriate and if desired, with additional training and technology packages to support remote work. In all of this work, Lesley is aligning the 2021-22 plan with the broader strategic and campus planning that has been discussed with the community throughout this year.
Focus on health and safety
All along, protecting the health and safety of our community has guided every aspect of our decision-making. As we consider the extent to which we can safely reopen our campuses this fall, our commitment to the community’s safety has not changed. All decisions will be made in close consultation with infectious disease experts from Mass General-Brigham and local public health officials. We are, of course, very hopeful that vaccines will become widely available by summer to the general public including college and graduate students. As fall approaches, we will continue to closely monitor the local and regional positivity rates and the rates of vaccination. Masks and distancing may still be required, and there still may be limits on the size of in-person gatherings. Regular COVID testing may be required for people with campus access, as it has been this year.
Further information to come
We soon will share an update describing a few on-campus activities we are piloting this spring and announcing our plans for Commencement and summer low-residency graduate programs.